Frequently Asked Questions on ASTM D6866 and Biobased Content Determination

ASTM D6866 is a standard developed specifically for biobased content determination as requested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its BioPreferred Program. The method uses radiocarbon dating techniques that can measure the exact percentage of a material that came from renewable sources.

Not all radiocarbon dating labs have the manpower for a quick turnaround or the technical expertise to perform ASTM D6866 testing. Commercial radiocarbon dating labs that are ISO 17025-accredited are recommended because the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other organizations strongly encourage the use of laboratories that have such accreditation.

A product's biobased carbon content tells you the ratio of biobased carbon (organic carbon or carbon from renewable sources) relative to total carbon present in the product. This value is absolute and doesn't depend on the amount of material being analyzed. Biomass by weight, on the other hand, tells you the fraction of the product that is biomass. This percentage depends on the amount of material submitted for analysis and has no bearing on product's biobased content.

Beta Analytic only provides biobased carbon content results and not biomass by weight.

We recommend 1-10 cc for non-combustible fluids, 100-200 microliters for combustible fluids, 20-50 cc for fluids with 90% water content, and 0.5-25 grams for solid samples.

We do not require specific containers for samples. Solids can be placed in any container; powders should be sent in properly sealed containers especially when multiple samples are sent. Liquids should also be submitted in containers that can be sealed tightly. You can use vials with snap caps shown below or those found at this site.

Yes. Please send your samples to our London office.

Beta Analytic Limited
London BioScience Innovation Centre
2 Royal College Street
London NW10NH
United Kingdom

Samples from Asian countries other than Japan or China should be sent to our U.S. headquarters.

Beta Analytic Inc.
4985 SW 74 Court
Miami, Florida 33155
USA

Samples from China should be sent to this address:

Beta Analytic Inc.
5/F South Block Tower C, Raycom InfoTech Park
No.2 KeXueYuan South Road, Haidian District,
Beijing 100190
China

Samples from Japan should be sent to our agent:

Chikyu Kagaku Kenkyusho Corp.
1-608 Ueda-Honmachi
Tenpaku-ku
Nagoya 468-0007
Japan